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Chapter Thirty
AJ
Why am I so nervous? When Dylan opens the door the rest of the way and nods for me to follow him, I’m suddenly terrified to step out of the room. After everything I just heard, I want to run into the room and throw my arms around him, vowing to never distrust him again. Never to walk away. Promise to always stay and fight.
Now I understand what my Grandma meant.
Sometimes, a cheater is a cheater.
But sometimes, a cheater is a man with ocean blue eyes and a sexy swagger who leaves my body humming and yearning for just one more touch. Sometimes, a cheater isn’t a cheater at all.
Sometimes, he’s your forever.
My legs are shaky as I step into the living room. The sun has set and the room is bathed in soft overhead lighting from the vaulted ceiling. It does nothing to camouflage the anguish on Sawyer’s face as he turns from the doorway he was about to exit to face Maddox.
Then his eyes connect with mine.
And it all fades away.
Everything.
I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. What would I say anyway? I’m sorry seems trivial in the grand scheme of things. His eyes transform right before my own into relief, into elation. He’s moving before I can even think about heading in his direction. Within seconds, he sweeps me into his arms, his nose buried deep in my neck. My own arms pull tightly on his shoulders and my legs wrap around his waist, as I hang on for dear life. His embrace steals my air, but I don’t complain. Not one bit.
“You’re here,” he states into my neck, his warm breath tickling and calming me at the same time.
“Yeah,” I choke on my emotions.
“Did you hear?” he asks, pulling back a little so we’re face-to-face.
“Yeah.”
Once more, relief washes over his handsome features. “I never want to hurt you, baby. Never ever again,” he vows.
Nodding, I give him a gentle smile. “I know. I’m sorry I doubted you.”
Shaking his head, he adamantly replies, “No, you don’t need to apologize. I know what it looked like, and the fact that I couldn’t remember anything that happened,” he shakes his head again. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me. Hell, when all of the chips were stacked up against me, I didn’t really trust myself either.”
I take my hands and place them on his cheeks, reveling in the feel of the several days’ old stubble on his strong jaw. He’s breathing hard, his eyes bouncing around my face, as if drinking every piece of me in.
And then they land on my lips. They’re slightly ajar, my own breathing a little shallow. Instinctively, I lick them and watch him watch me. I can also feel a little something stirring to life between my legs, just below his belt. Okay, so it’s not little, but it’s definitely something.
It’s like slow motion as his mouth gradually moves toward mine. Right before our lips connect, his eyes meet mine. It’s a look of happiness, of contentment, of love.
And then his lips graze softly across my own. He holds it together just long enough for a taste, one we both long to savor, but then lust takes hold. Sawyer urges my mouth open with his lips and tongue, and devours. He feasts like a man starved. A man possessed. The kiss is bruising and fierce, but does nothing to quench the insatiable burn I feel for him. In fact, it does the exact opposite.
“Wow, this is getting uncomfortable, real quick,” Dylan says after clearing his throat.
“Shit,” Sawyer mumbles as he pulls his lips from my own. He turns to face his brother and cousin, his hands still firmly gripping my ass and me still attached to his front like a spider monkey.
I practically jump off him like I was burned, but Sawyer isn’t interested in letting me go, which means I basically stumble backward as I try to right my askew sweatshirt and turn to face the others in the room.
And holy hell.
Sawyer’s cousin is…yowzers! We rode to the house together, but he was in the back seat, so unfortunately, I didn’t get too good of a look. But now that I can see him in the light, he’s tall, dark, and handsome. Just like his cousin.
“AJ, this is my cousin, Maddox Jackson. He’s a cop in Missouri.”
“We met in the car, but it’s nice to officially finally meet you,” Maddox says, stepping forward and extending his hand. His smile is warm, but those eyes. They’re like chocolate diamonds, all intense and sexy-like. Grandma would like him. A lot.
